The Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument includes mountain ranges, wildlife such as pronghorn sheep and mountain lions, and ancient Native American petroglyphs. The land will continue to be open to hikers, backpackers, and horseback riders (like this cowboy), but about half of the monument will be closed to development and industries such as mining.Photograph by Justin Locke, National Geographic

The park’s steep peaks and river valleys, rising above the Chihuahua Desert, are nicknamed the “crown jewel of the southern Rockies.” The monument’s landscape is also dotted with volcanic craters, cones, and prehistoric lava flows.

Mountain lions like this beauty are apex predators in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument.Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic

What are some plants and animals that live in and near the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument?

Plants: The Organ Mountains evening primrose and smooth figwort are endemic to the Organ Mountains, meaning those plants do not exist anywhere else on Earth. Many varieties of cacti, ferns, and even oaks also thrive in the region.

The Bavispe River isn’t part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument in New Mexico. It’s just across the border in old Mexico, cutting through the states of Sonora and Chihuahua.Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic

What ecosystems are part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument?

Five mountains rise above a desert plain, with rivers slicing through the landscape. This creates distinct riparian, desert, and mountain ecosystems.

Geronimo, whose Native American name was actually Goyathlay, was a Bedonkohe Apache chief of the Chiricahua Apache. He led his people in defense of their traditional homeland against the combined might of the U.S. and Mexican governments. He used the unforgiving landscape of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument in New Mexico as an effective hideout.Photograph courtesy National Archives and National Geographic

What is the human geography of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peak National Monument?

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